Usually we know in advance which song our CMT Edge live performers have chosen to sing. For Rodney Crowell, we just rolled with it. Obviously, he’s a songwriting hero, but beyond that, every selection on his newest album, Tarpaper Sky, is worth hearing.

After he sat down and thought about it, he settled on “God I’m Missing You,” one of the more somber songs on the project. Then he nailed it in just one take.

“‘God I’m Missing You’ started its life as a poem by my dear friend and collaborator, Mary Karr,” Crowell said afterwards. “Once I saw the opening lines of her poem, I said, ‘You know, we could very easily make this into a song. And let’s make it a song about heartbreak and yearning and missing someone. And leave it to the listener to decide. Is this someone that you’re just missing that’s faded from your life or someone who’s gone for good?’”

Those familiar with Crowell’s work will recognize the song from Kin, a collaborative album he wrote with Karr, with most vocals provided by Crowell’s talented friends. For example, Lucinda Williams originally recorded “God I’m Missing You,” which was written in just one afternoon.

“She did a beautiful, definitive version,” Crowell observed, “but I always felt like I had a version inside of me that I needed to let out.”